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What a progressive movement! Bradford Uni has had gender neutral toilets for years and managed to not get any media attention, though. Hopefully soon they will be through the whole university.

And Martin, there are people who are intersex – who have ambiguous genitalia, as well as people who define as women or men but dont have what most people would consider to be the female or male bits, respectively. There is also a significant amount of people who define as neither male or female.
But, i would like to point out that gender neutral toilets are not just for trans people, everyone can use them. They are especially helpful for disabled people with opposite sex carers or parents with young children of the opposite sex.

The toilets are for anyone who wants them but some trans students did request a gender neutral toilet due to hassle they had recieved when using gendered facilities. Gendered facilities are still available for those that want them. We at the Union work hard to make sure all our student’s have the best experience at uni that they can and I personally and as Staffs Uni LGBT officer am very happy about this.

I’m glad that trans people are getting their own toilets if they feel it will be beneficial to them. However, I don’t agree with Manchester’s toilets system, which basically allows straight men to walk into women’s bathrooms. What about women’s rights? Are they now to be abandoned to make trans people happy?

Where are the neutral toilets in Bradford uni? lol I’ve not seem them.
I see this as a form of segregation is it not the opposite effect that you want. its kinda of saying we don’t want you in regular toilets here is your own keep away from us. just seems like a backwards step.

@wimmin. These aren’t trans toilets they are simply toilets that anyone can use regardless of gender identity they were requested by trans and gender adrogynous/neutral students so that they could enjoy the venue without having to worry about going to the toilet, this is exactly the same as at Manchester. Both Manchester and Staffs still have gendered facilities available for those that want them. This isn’t about women’s rights this is about some people wanting to be able to take a leak in private without having to worry about being physically or varbally attacked when they’re having a night out with friends.

@Matthew. As I said these toilets were requested by trans/gender neutral/androgynous students and have been implemented as part of an ongoing campaign by the union and myself to better educate students and staff on the issues involved plus there are some people (myself included it must be said) who don’t want to use gendered facilities for whatever reason. It’s not about segregation it’s about providing the best experience for our students that we can and if this saves some people being hassled by bigots and idiots then good.

This is totaly wrong , a backward step for the true Gender dysphoric person . Probably caused by the transvestite community who for some strange reason stick on a frock and then endevor to gate crash the womens loo .
Transmen don`t have this problem , the bigest butch lessbian women
dont gate crash the male loo .
As a women with a trans background ,us ts women have this mill stone round our neck to contend with .
I work in a male world and the workforce know of my trans past but i use the loo appropriate to my perceived gender if they told me they were going to construct a new tiolet for me ,
I would take them for sex discrimination .
A tiolet is a tiolet you go in and you shut the door. your union would be better to dispel any prejudice amongst the students by education .

Why call the toilets transtoilets? I would have thought it a great idea if it had just been classed as a unisex facility rather than making a point that transpeople are not either male or female.
Yes ok, I accept there are inbetweenies who don’t identify as either male or female and this facility is ideal for them. However, a male to female transsexual is a female who should be allowed to use the female toilets, and a female to male transsexualis a male who should be allowed to use the male toilets.
The sooner most of society stop judging people for being different the better in my view, because at the end of the day we are all just fellow human beings deserving the respect to live our lives the way we wish.
So to sum up, I like the idea of another toilet, but please don’t call it a trans toilet……..for they are just men and women like most of the rest of us in this world.
Regards, Alex.

@alexandra: I am a FtM trans guy the people who requested this are also transpeople. it was never our intention to call it a ‘transtoilet’ it is simply a gender neutral toilet however newspapers being what they are transtoilet sounds more sensationalist.

@Ina: To be honest ina I find your assumption that transguys have mothing to worry about rather offensive seeing as I know many many trans men who have had significant problems including being physically and verbally attacked whilst using male toilets. All the people who came to me asking me to help them were transgendered/sexual rather than transvestite, and what would it matter if they were.

At the end of the day it’s very simple, if you don’t like them don’t use them, use the gendered facilities instead. But don’t try and force that choice on those of us who don’t want to use gendered facilities or tell us that we’re abnormal or wrong for wanting to be able to use a toilet without being afraid we could be severely injured, something cispeople take for granted everyday

OK Charley I hear what you are saying, and again I stress that a ‘gender neutral’ facility for those within society who don’t view themselves as being either male or female is fine. However, I’m a fully transitioned MtF transwoman who fully identifies as being female and expect society to accept me as being a female who can freely use female toilets. It is my opinion that setting up a 3rd sex toilet is giving people the wrong opinion that ‘all’ transpeople should use such a facility, and singles us all out as being different from the male and female labels making up most of society. I personaly would be offended if I were to be forced to use anything other than a female toilet.
You state that this facility had to be set up to protect transpeople being abused when using either male or female toilets, but creating another toilet that segregates transpeople is not dealing with the problem of bigotry at the source. In the big bad world outside educational establishments you will not find ‘gender neutral’ facilities, and therefore have to face using either male or female toilets. The problems are the bigots who have to be re-educated on diversity, and the solution is not to seperate us as transpeople from the rest of society.
Regards, Alex.

Hi Charley.
I live in the real world and it is not easy .
How many when they went home for the holliday`s got to the station and said shit there is not a trans toilet ? .
Yes that is reality . What you are doing on a university campus in my view is not helping . I see your problem and I feel the bigot`s are winning by forceing the trans to use a seperate toilet .
I am very concerned about this and I will hope you get some help to sort this problem out .
Ina.

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